#fedora way of freedom

[Gescape]

I lunched my IRC client tonight. For a long time I was wondering which language really to use... Perl or Python? I am not an experienced programmer, so I thought I will ask people from community what they think and maybe this will help me to make my decision a little bit. I asked and straight away I was referred to this: "Bringing up topics in an IRC Channel which require personal opinions are highly discouraged as they tend to degenerate into flame wars. Such questions include "Which is a better desktop environment KDE or Gnome?", "Which audio player is better Audacious or Amarok?" users who initiate those types of questions are considered to be polling. In the #fedora channel people that continually pose those types of questions may be asked to leave the channel." I am on IRC for over 10 years and it was a place of freedom of speech to me. Place where I could ask a question and find an answer. Either I do not understand something or freedom is really not a freedom on #fedora. "You do how we tell you or you leave... Do not ask questions we do not like..." This is what it says to me really. In Poland before 1989, when the country was run by communistic government it was called censorship... but you on #fedora think that it is appropriate to say people what you can ask about and what you cannot, even the questions are really related to Linux and Open Source...

[Dan]

(Moved to Rants & Raves)

Uhm ... whereas I understand the need to vent ... what, exactly, do you think anyone on this forum can do about the problem?

I would think this is a discussion better entered into on the #fedora channel. Although I do freely admit the reception might be less than enthusiastic.

[smr54]

Heh, if the rules are similar to the rules here (Don't criticize mods, which is a rule with which I can agree for numerous reasons), then the OP might really risk getting banned.

An alternative might be to /msg a mod there, and see if one will discuss it with you.

That being said, I'm with Dan that such a question seems reasonable. You can always ask here.

Also, *that* being said, it may well be that there's a history that makes it a more reasonable requirement than it seems to we who haven't been there.

[glennzo]

If I was the one trying to decide which programming language to use I think that I'd probably try both and see which on fits my needs. Write some simple code to create menus or ask for user input with Perl and Python. Find some sample code out there on the web and try that out with both. Surely there will be something you like more about one of them.

[DavidMcCann]

I've never used IRC, but I suspect the problem is like the one I'm currently having with a mailing list. If you have a system where stuff "just comes", users want to avoid getting overwhelmed with unwanted material. With a forum, if you're not interested, you don't have to see it.

Places like this or linuxquestions.org are ideal places to canvas opinions: all of us have lots of them! On the subject of Perl vs Python, there are lost of opinions already posted, like:
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplan...orials/6784/1/

[kevmif]

I think people are just sick of generic 'what is best' type questions as they do usually degenerate into flame wars.

It all comes down to wording. Perhaps instead of asking 'which is better' how about posing a situation and asking what the pros and cons of various languages would be.

For example:
I have X programming experience and I am trying to solve Y problem. I was thinking maybe using A or B - what would be the benefits and potential negatives of each?

That would generate much better responses.

[EclipseAgent]

I feel you.. i posted a picture of my desktop very happy after a few days of moving from arch to f13, and was greeted very poorly, and was told I wasn't running fedora, and asked what the reason for posting the screenshot was (mind you after the moderator decided to pass himself banning privs).

Was retarded